Upright vacuum cleaners generally include a wand assembly for above-the-floor cleaning. A changeover arrangement is often provided for switching the air intake between the main cleaner head and the wand assembly. The changeover arrangement may be actuated by the position of the body of the vacuum cleaner such that air is drawn in through the cleaner head when the body is in a reclined position, and air is drawn in through the wand assembly when the body is in a fully upright position. However, there may be instances when a user wishes to use the main cleaner head with the vacuum cleaner in the fully upright position. Additionally, upright vacuum cleaners are generally powered on with the body in the fully upright position; this is particularly true of vacuum cleaners that are unbalanced in the reclined position. Consequently, a user may incorrectly believe that a problem exits with the vacuum cleaner upon power-on since air would be drawn in through the wand assembly rather than the main cleaner head, as might be expected.
Rather than actuating the changeover arrangement in response to the position of the vacuum cleaner, the changeover arrangement may alternatively be actuated in response to stowing and removing the wand assembly from the vacuum cleaner. In this alternative arrangement, the wand assembly typically engages a component of the changeover arrangement, which is moveable between two positions. In a first position the changeover arrangement selects the wand assembly, while in a second position the cleaner head is selected. The component is biased (e.g. by means of a spring) towards the first position such that, when the wand assembly is removed from the vacuum cleaner, the changeover arrangement automatically selects the wand assembly. In contrast, when the wand assembly is stowed on the vacuum cleaner, the wand assembly applies a force to the component in opposition to the biasing force, thereby causing the component to move to the second position and the changeover arrangement to select the main cleaner head.
A problem with this type of changeover arrangement is that the wand assembly must be securely held in place when stowed on the vacuum cleaner. Without securing the wand assembly, vibration that occurs during use of the vacuum cleaner, as well as any biasing forces from the changeover arrangement, may cause the position of the wand assembly to move. Any movement in the position of the wand assembly is then translated to the changeover arrangement resulting in a loss of suction at the main cleaner head. However, securing the wand assembly to the vacuum cleaner has its own problems. In particular, locking mechanisms are typically cumbersome and require both hands in order to unlock and remove the wand assembly from the vacuum cleaner. Additionally, changing from upright to above-the-floor cleaning typically involves three different actions: unlocking the wand assembly; removing the wand assembly from the main body of the vacuum cleaner; and extending the telescopic wand. The same three actions must then be repeated in reverse when reverting to upright cleaning, all of which may seem tiresome and overcomplicated to the user.